Dry weather is returning to Northern California after a monsoon pattern brought days of vivid sunsets, rare summer rain showers and Sierra Nevada thunderstorms.
With monsoon moisture shifting east of California on Wednesday, the state will be left with lower humidity — and more sunshine. But now, the advent of dry air will raise fire danger in some areas.
Westerly gusts of 20 to 30 mph are expected throughout the Bay Area on Wednesday afternoon. Gusts could even reach up to 35 mph at San Francisco International Airport and near the Delta and up to 40 mph over the Altamont Pass. With inland temperatures in the 90s to low 100s, these hot, dry winds will be dangerous if any wildfire breaks out. Similar conditions — albeit slightly cooler — are anticipated Thursday.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. warned of potential power shutoffs in portions of Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties Wednesday and Thursday to prevent utility-sparked wildfires. High fire danger also extends east to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and north to Mendocino and Lake counties.
The winds are being spurred by an area of low pressure in the Central Valley that forms during hot weather. Heat rising over the valley causes atmospheric pressure to lower, which pulls cool, higher pressure air toward it through gaps in coastal terrain…